NEW PORT RICHEY — County officials postponed rescinding a $400,000 grant for a homeless veterans housing facility on Wednesday, but the delay doesn't mean the grant will move forward.

Community development manager George Romagnoli wrote a May 3 memo to commissioners recommending they pull the funding for St. Jude's Veterans Resource Center. The memo said members of the group "were very confrontational with the public" during an April meeting and that the group wasn't prepared to operate the proposed 30-bed facility.

But before commissioners could pull the money, county budget director Mike Nurrenbrock asked them to hold off. Romagnoli referred questions about the move to Nurrenbrock, who said only that the memo will be re-written and submitted to the board at a later meeting.

Several commissioners were wary about the grant after hundreds of neighbors rose in opposition to the project and questions were raised about St. Jude's founder Morson Livingston, a former Catholic priest who left the Army in 2001 after sexual harassment allegations. Livingston, who has refused comment on the story, has told the county he will no longer move forward with the project.